


Voicing Grievances

by juicejpeg



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst and Feels, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Family Dynamics, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Multi, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), but not really
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-31
Updated: 2018-09-13
Packaged: 2019-07-04 21:11:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15849435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/juicejpeg/pseuds/juicejpeg
Summary: After the defeat of Thanos and the reversal of the snap, the Avengers are all back under the same roof. But when Steve stumbles in on something he wasn't meant to see and decides to confront his iron teammate, things go sour. Now he has to make things right a second time.





	1. Getting Some Air

“That’s the problem!” Peter snapped, looking up at Steve with fiery eyes.  
“you don’t know him, you don’t even try to! He’s done so much for you, and- and it’s like all you see in him is his dad!” Wiping his eyes on the back of his sleeve, Peter let out a frustrated groan and stormed out of the lab, leaving Steve with his thoughts. He hadn’t meant it to turn out this way.

It had all started like any other day, really. 

After the fight against Thanos, Tony had flown into Wakanda sporting a stab wound that should’ve killed him and a weight in his heart that might’ve proved even more fatal, had they not regrouped and undone the snap. Steve remembered seeing Tony for the first time in two years, eyebrows knit into an expression that voiced his grief and confusion all in one. 

He had been curled in on himself in the corner of Shuri’s lab, trying to stop the tears from falling, when a commotion sounded down the hall that startled him enough to sit up and put on a brave face. The remaining Avengers littering the room looked to the doorway in surprise when a pale Tony Stark stumbled in, pushing away guards with a growing look of panic.

Upon seeing Rhodey making his way toward him, a small semblance of relief graced his face and he practically fell into the other man’s arms, gripping tightly for a moment before steeling himself. “Is she alive?”   
Rhodey placed a comforting hand on the back of Tony’s neck before grasping at a small laugh and breathing, “yeah, yeah. She’s okay.”

Steve watched the man he’d known mostly to be sarcastic and cold melt in Rhode’s embrace, voice unsteady and wet, “Okay. God, okay. She’s probably really pissed, huh?” Tony made a noise that sounded somewhere between a laugh and a sob that quickly turned into short breaths and sniffling; while Rhodes scanned the room, locking eyes with Steve, silently asking for space. He pushed himself from his spot on the floor and shakily made his way to the exit.

A few hours later, Steve had been sitting on a couch in an abandoned hallway, trying desperately to pull himself together. He had watched Bucky vanish in front of him, no goodbyes, no last embrace. Nothing. He scrubbed his hands over his eyes roughly as if to tear the memory from his brain. He had fought tooth and nail to save him, he would have crossed the ocean for him; he loved Bucky, and he hadn’t even been able to tell him that. He disintegrated in front of him without hearing it.

Steve shuddered and hit his head against the wall behind the couch, breathing back the nausea building within him. He hadn’t heard the other man sit down.

“Rough day?” Tony joked, usual demeanor back in place despite the grief in his eyes. Steve’s head shot forward, sitting up straight and briefly swiping his eyes for remaining tears, “Tony, I-”

The other man put up a hand to silence him, closing his eyes and leaning back on the couch. His earlier wound was seemingly gone, and he was dressed in baggy clothes obviously not belonging to him. He took a minute to gather his words as Steve fidgeted uncomfortably. He had wronged Tony in every sense of the word, and he didn’t even know how to begin mending it.

“It’s okay, you know. I’m over it, I think.” Tony opened his eyes, as if he was realizing the words as he spoke, “Our little fight seems pretty small compared to the last couple of hours. I think we just need to stick together for now.”

Steve looked at Tony, trying his hardest to will back the itching behind his eyes and the lump in his throat, “God, Tony, I didn’t mean- you can’t forgive me like that. I left you there. I should’ve just told you, I don’t know who I think I am, I was just so scared to lose him again. I loved-” 

He covered his mouth as a sob escaped, curling in and clenching his eyes shut as he tried to compose himself. Tony didn’t say anything in response, just wrapped an arm around him, and then another; and before Steve knew it they were both crying and apologizing for what seemed like ages before they composed themselves and went back to Shuri’s lab with a new determination to defeat Thanos, and bring their family back, together. 

But that had been months ago, and Steve had fallen back into a normalcy. He and the other Avengers had been living at the compound since the fallout of Thanos, as it seemed saving the universe made pardoning war crimes a much easier feat. A sort of peace had fallen on them, and they were closer than ever. But peace never seems to last long.

He woke up in a cold sweat, gasping for air and shaking the remnants of the nightmare from is mind, looking over to Bucky’s sleeping form to ground himself. He was here. He was okay, everything was okay. He sighed shakily and pulled the covers from himself, glancing at the analog clock that read around 3 am. He walked to the door before quietly exiting. As he approached the kitchen area of the compound, he heard what sounded like two voices, one Tony’s, the other unknown.

Ever vigilant, he walked slowly to the edge of the hall, peering into the kitchen to see if there was any danger. Tony sat at a table nursing a steaming mug, next to who Steve only recognized as Doctor Strange, some kind of wizard who he had met briefly back a few months prior. Both were dressed down in pajamas and looked disheveled and weary, but both wore smiles.

He knew they had gotten close after whatever they experienced on Titan the day of the snap, but he hadn’t expected to see Tony set his mug down and lean in to the other man, kissing him briefly and running a hand through his hair, before pulling back and laying his head on Strange’s shoulder.

For a moment Steve considered the possibility that he might still be dreaming. Tony and Pepper’s wedding was around a month away, and he had thought Tony was better than that. Did he really see Tony cheating? After everything that had happened?

He took a step back, pausing, before making a beeline back to the room he shared with Bucky. He quickly got back into bed and pressed his face into the back of Bucky’s neck. 

“Everything okay, Stevie?” Bucky spoke groggily, not bothering to turn around but pressing himself closer, as if he could sense the unease Steve had brought back with him. “Yeah,” Steve began, deciding to keep silent on what he had seen until morning. “Just needed some air.”


	2. Pancakes and Coffee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve gets advice.

The next morning brought a few moments of contentment for Steve. The sun shined softly onto the bed he shared with Bucky, who was snoring faintly into Steve’s chest as his hand gently pulled through his long hair. Steve tried to take a mental picture of the scene. Sometimes it was still hard to believe that this was possible, that he could marry Bucky any day now and that it was legal, that no one thought they were sick or evil. Well, most didn’t. 

After a minute he remembered the prior night’s events. Closing his eyes and groaning weakly, he carefully pulled himself from the bed as to not wake his sleeping counterpart. He pulled on a t-shirt and shorts, deciding that a run might clear his head enough for him to figure out what to do.

Steve made his way outside, silently thanked whoever had invented headphones, and jogged around the edges of the compound, speeding up the more he thought about the new memory in his head. Tony was a touchy person with his those he was close to, Steve knew. He always had an arm around Rhodes, he greeted his (bodyguard? Driver? Steve wasn’t sure) friend Happy with a hug, and was always touching Peter and Harley, whether it was a hand on the shoulder or a ruffle of their hair. But the only person he had ever seen Tony look at like he did Strange was Pepper; so rationalizing it as a platonic encounter was off the table.   
Steve didn’t know how else to look at it. He wanted so desperately to believe it wasn’t true, but he didn’t know how else to make it out. He had seen Tony cheating on his fiancée.

He sighed sharply and pushed himself to go faster. Turning a corner a little too rigidly, he ran straight into someone and fell back harshly. Steve looked up to see Sam standing with his arms crossed. “Dude, what are you doing?” He uncrossed his arms and gave the super soldier a worried look. “It’s 7:30 in the morning and I just watched you run around the compound 14 times.” 

Steve blinked, brow furrowing. “What? I didn’t think I’d been out here for that long-”

Sam softened considerably and held an arm out to help Steve up. His hand lingered after Steve had righted himself. “Hey, Steve, Is everything okay? You seem a little off this morning.”

For a moment Steve weighed his options. Was it okay to tell someone else? It seemed that the right thing to do was to confront Tony, or tell Pepper, but was it really his place? He stared down at his feet. It definitely wasn’t his place to tell anyone else; but Sam had always been a good objective listener and never spread what he was told around. And Steve needed advice.

“Sam, I saw something last night. But you can’t tell anyone else, okay? I have no idea what to do, and-” Steve cut himself off, “I’m rambling, ugh. Can we just go to a diner or something? That one that Buck likes? I could really use some pancakes right now.”

Sam looked interested. “God, you’re right, pancakes it is,” He hesitated, looking around before making eye contact, feeling out the question. “Do you want to get Bucky?”

Steve thought about it, chewing on the inside of his cheek. He didn’t keep anything from Buck, and he knew the other man hated spending mornings without him; not to mention they were going to one of his favorite diners. “Yeah, I’ll go wake him. Meet here in 30?”

Sam smiled and nodded, Holding his hand out for a high five before re-entering the building. Steve stared up at the blue sky for a moment before following.

Bucky had good days and bad days. Some mornings he woke up wrought with memories and an old, aching fear; eyes wide and hands shaking and nothing Steve did could settle him in his skin. Steve hated those days; and he hated the angry tears that came with them.   
But Bucky also had amazing days, when he slept in and woke up smiling lazily at the man he loved with so much adoration it could put an end to wars, Steve thought. These days meant trips to his favorite restaurants and (what had been dubbed catch-up) movie nights with Peter, Sam, and recently, Natasha. Days like that made Steve’s heart swell and he tried to memorize each and every one of them, despite the fact that they grew less rare as time went on, and now outnumbered the bad. 

Today, always thankfully, had been a good day. 

Steve entered their shared room as quietly as he could manage, as not to wake the other man. He looked up, surprised; eyeing Bucky sitting up in bed, looking contentedly out of the window and listening to the birds.  
“Hey sunshine,” Steve floated towards the bed, planting a kiss on the top of his companion’s head. He worded his question carefully. “I saw something last night I need advice on, Sam and I were gonna head to that diner you like to talk about it. Do you wanna tag along?” He brushed his thumb under Bucky’s eye, watching the other man think.

Bucky laughed, nodding. “Pancakes? That sounds good, let me put a shirt on.” 

Steve watched as Bucky pulled a t-shirt over his head and glossed over his metal arm, checking to make sure everything was in working order before pulling his hair back into a messy bun and giving Steve a peck on the cheek before heading out the door, gesturing for the other to lead the way.

“Shit, man, you’re telling me you saw Stark cheating? Less than a month before his wedding? What the fuck?” Sam questioned, wide eyed over his cup of coffee and empty plate. Bucky looked equally as distressed, but stayed silent in his place next to the veteran. Steve groaned and leaned back in the booth.

“I don’t know! I mean, I think so, but I really don’t want to believe it. There has to be another explanation, right?” He thought aloud, sounding desperate for an answer. He had hoped Sam would come up with something, a change he had missed in the last 70 years that rationalized this and didn’t make it seem so dooming. 

He watched as Buck thoughtfully took a sip of his overly-sweetened coffee, putting it down before starting.  
“Actually, I read about something the other day,” He pulled out his phone, “I saw it on Twitter. It’s called polyamory.” 

Scrolling for a minute, he showed Steve the cracked screen; on it, an image of three people, posing together happily. It was captioned ‘thanks @buckybbarnes for getting us together’ followed by a series of tags. Bucky pointed to the smiling face in the middle.

“I saved her on patrol last week,” He put the phone back in his pocket. “A car went flying, I stopped it before it hit her.”

He took another swig from his mug before continuing, “I messaged her about what she meant, and she explained it to me and sent me some links. It’s basically having multiple relationships at a time, consensually, and they can be interconnected,” He emphasized this by tangling the fingers of his flesh and metal hands together. “Maybe that’s what you saw.”

Steve sat in awe of his boyfriend’s understanding of social media before processing the rest of the sentence, part of him relieved. Sam looked amused. 

“You guys are pretty liberal for 90 year old men, you know,” He laughed, holding a hand up to clarify himself. “Not that that’s a bad thing. The world needs more people like you.”

The trio smiled simultaneously and finished their drinks, the conversation changing topics to what movie they would watch tonight. A feeling of worry settling in his stomach, Steve realized that Bucky could still be wrong. 

Maybe Tony really was cheating. Maybe didn't know the man as well as he thought he did, maybe he wasn't really the selfless person Steve had realized him to be. He pushed the thoughts away guiltily before deciding finally to talk to Tony about it. But he would save it for tomorrow. Steve reached across the table and linked his hand with Bucky’s, focusing in on two of his favorite people. 

He tried his best to enjoy the rest of his day with them and ignore his unease.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yikes so this is later than i wanted it to be, but i like how it came out? srry for the wait,, also, im not sure if i should make the chapters longer or not, but let me know if u liked it uwu

**Author's Note:**

> oof, this is my first fic so go easy on me ? I really wanted to do something on how these two would act around each other after infinity war, because i feel like theres a lot to work through. update soon :^)


End file.
